Yogi in training

Panic in the Seoul Airport created my only plan for the trip.

During my six-hour layover from Las Vegas to Bangkok, I awoke from my airport chair nap in a sort of panic that I had not previously felt for the trip. The mix of excitement and sleep-deprived jetlag was a complicated emotion to handle at five in the morning. To combat this feeling, I decided to get something set to make sure I had a goal to move towards for the start of my travels. The next step was finding an activity I could do for a week that I couldn't do in my daily life. The options were limited trying to make this happen a week out, but I ended up choosing an All inclusive Yoga Retreat, which wasn't my worst decision.

Tiktok has been my saving grace in planning; most of my decisions and activities have been influenced by the content I see on the app. This yoga retreat was the first one that popped up and happened to be near where I wanted to go, so why not book a week upfront? What could go wrong?

One of the main goals for my trip was to try new things, so this Vegan, all-inclusive yoga retreat was on par with the original vision. I had never done a yoga class before my first day at Wonder Land Healing Center, and I jumped into the deep end with a Trauma Informed Breathwork Journey with Marco, A native New Yorker who lives in German but resides on the island of Koh Phangan. Confusing? Absolutely. But I have accepted that anyone traveling has a similar backstory, and it's impossible to keep it straight.

My different experiences in life lead to this moment. Being uncomfortable was already out the window when we all had to drop out pants.

I'm kidding Im kidding.

The experience I reflect on for moments like these is the times that I did not buy in or commit fully. Half in, half out is never worth it as the outcome is negligible instead of opening the door for a new experience. Now back to the story.

I attended at least two yoga classes a day during my week's stay at Wonderland. These classes ranged from simple stretching to Hatha flow, Vinyasa, Meditation, Yin Yoga, Vipassana, and my favorite, Wim Hoff Breathwork.

Every day I had different classes and activities to do. The food would change daily as well. If you are not feeling the classes for that time, there happens to be a pool and a book to dig into. My read of choice was "Kitchen Confidential" by the late and great Anthony Bourdain. A fitting book that discussed his hatred for Veganism, as I consumed my body weight in Vegan banana pancakes and Sharshuka.

The chapter "Don't eat fish on a Monday" hit close to home as I had spent the previous three days eating Tums for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so vegan food was a safe option. The rotating menu was great for trying new foods and keeping the days from blurring together. The yoga itself was challenging but inviting. The instructors were from around the world and brought their twist to the classes. Some were quite challenging and would push you to a new pose; others a calming class that is more of a personal challenge. As these were my first experiences with yoga, it was great to see the differences in styles and instructors. I enjoyed the instructor that expected a lot out of you and would push you if they thought you weren't getting the most out of a pose.

After a week of Zen yoga, I felt ready to start moving and meeting new places again, but this was a perfect way to start a tropical vacation or any vacation, Poolside.